Hair-spring regulator.



H. WACHTELHAUSENQ HAIR SPRING REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, 1912.

Patented July 14, 1914.

45 mi? 1 f, m n W H 1/ UNITED STATES PATENT HENRY WACHTELHAUSEN, 0F MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE PARKER CLOCK COMPANY, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

HAIR-SPRING REGULATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 14, 1914.

Application filed June 19, 1912. Serial No. 704,572.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY VVACHTEL- rIAUsnN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Meriden, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in HairSpring Regulators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to hair-spring regulators.

It is a matter of common knowledge that hair-springs become fouled with their regulators of the ordinary type, and in such case as this some difficulty and labor are requisite to restore the same to normal operative condition; the primary purpose of the invention is to provide a device of this character which has simple and efiective means for positively preventing the spring from becoming fouled therewith.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification I have shown in detail one of the several forms of embodiment of the invention which to enable those skilled in the art to )ractice the same will be fully set forth in the following description, while the novelty of the invention will be included in the claim succeeding said description. From this it will be clear that I do not restrict myself to such showing; I may depart therefrom in several respects within the scope of the invention defined by the claim following said description.

Referring to said drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of a hair-spring regulator involving my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same, and, Fig. 3 is a detail view hereinafter more particularly described.

Like characters refer to like parts throughout the figures of the drawings.

In the drawings the numeral 5 denotes a balance wheel, 6 the balance staff, 7 the hair spring, and 8 the rear movement plate which parts are and may be of the usual construction.

A regulator which answers my requirements is that denoted in a general way by 9 and which in the construction shown con sists of a lever pivotally supported at its lower end by the pin 10 upon the outer face of the rear movement plate 8. The regulator or lever 9 is shown having at its upper end an outwardly extending operating-arm 11 which after the fashion of devices of the present nature may extend through an arcuate slot in the clock case so as to be accessible exteriorly thereof to thereby effect the regulation of the spring 7. The regulator is equipped with a spring-receiving member as 12 which is shown as consisting of an inwardlyextending arm located between the ends of the regulator. In the construction shown, this spring-receiving member or arm 12 has an elongated slot 13 through which the outer coil of the hairspring extends.

I prefer that the outer end of this slot be closed, and this result is best secured by closing the entire slot, although in all cases this may not be essential, the prime consideration being to close the outer end of the slot. The regulator can also be made very inexpensively, in that it can be stamped or otherwise formed from sheet metal, this being due to the fact that its body and oppositely extending arms are all flat.

It should be noted that it has not been uncommon heretofore to provide a hair-spring regulator with a spring-receiving member and so far as these two features are concerned, my regulator acts in accordance with the usual manner, the invention residing in the regulator itself which has improved means for pr venting the hair-spring from fouling the same. This fouling is generally done by the second coil from the outside of the said spring, although it is not unusual for other coils to do the same thing. The construction of my regulator is such that though should one or more coils be laterally displaced, they are instantly and automatically returned to proper positions, the spring-receiving member 12 having means for positively guiding the coil (or coils) from the same, should it accidentally pass thereonto, such for example as in shipment or by ars.

The guiding means to which allusion has just been made, is secured by forming upon the arm 12 a slant or angular surface. This surface may vary as to form, although in the construction it is of curved form, being upon a downward forward slant as at 14 and connecting and merging into the upper and lower straight faces of the arm 12, the inner end of said inclined anti-fouling face 14- extending preferably to a point intersected approximately by the plane of the hair spring. It will be assumed that the second coil of the hair spring from the outer one, becomes laterally displaced and rides up over the tip or forward end of the arm 12. Owing to the presence of the curved face 14:, such coil can find no lodgment on the arm and is therefore instantly guided or directed to its correct, true position sliding down in fact the curved guide or delodging face 14. As soon as the displaced coil is free of the arm 12, it assumes itself its proper position. The construction described is an exceedingly simple one. can be inexpensively made and practically adds nothing to the cost ofapproximately flat inwardly extending armor spring recelving member 12 1s between the center of motion of said lever and the manipulating end thereof, the outwardly projecting arm 11 presenting as already intimated a convenient means for actuating said lever 9. The slot 13 is wholly closed and the inclined anti-fouling portion 14 is upon the edge of said arm 12 farthest from the center of oscillation of said lever.

I can very readily and prefer to make the regulator with its two oppositely ending arms, in one piece as for instance from sheet metal.

lVhat I claim is:

In a clock movement having a hair spring, a manually operable lever formed by a single piece of sheet metal and provided with an outwardly extending finger piece, and an inwardly extending flat arm having a closed elongated slot therein, the outer coil of the spring extending through said slot, said arm having an inclined anti-fouling portion on the upper edge thereof, said lever being mounted for swinging movement and sai :arm being situated between said finger piece and the axis of motion of the lever.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY VAOI-ITELHAUSEN.

it-messes:

JAMES R. SLOANE, W. P. ZIEGLER.

Copies of thin patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatents, Washington, I). C." 

